


Migrating to a New Hobby

by forestofsecrets



Series: Birds of a Feather [3]
Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Bird Watching, Comedy, Gen, Natsuki is mentioned, People Watching, Piyo-chan is involved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 21:50:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forestofsecrets/pseuds/forestofsecrets
Summary: Ai continues with his bird watching. But is it truly the best hobby for him?





	Migrating to a New Hobby

**Author's Note:**

> This sort of evolved on its own, much like the prequel. I actually linked the stories together in a series now so they can be found together. This kind of came about as I found myself in the same situation Ai is in with the squirrels. My hobby is also bothering Tokiya so that is how he got suckered into it.
> 
> My next story, unrelated to this series, will be a Thanksgiving story since the holiday is this weekend for Canada. It will focus on Otoya and Tokiya so I am excited to write it!
> 
> Made on 09/30/2019.

With the changing of the seasons, Ai’s view of the bird feeder changed. One such change was the name by which he referred to the feeder. It was no long just a random bird feeder but was dubbed The Tweeter. 

Another change was the removal of his water gun. At this, Ai had protested. It had proved itself an effective tool since day one so Ai wanted to keep it by his side. But it was controversial, essentially since it prompted nothing short of what could be called a water gun fight in the courtyard, which made its way into the building. An all-out ban on water guns was then put into place.

(Ai blamed Reiji for that one. The older idol had borrowed Otoya’s mega super soaker and was squirting everyone in sight. Some, like Camus, had joined the fight to retaliate. Some, like Natsuki, had joined the fight just for fun. Either way, Ai suspected the ban had to do with the colder weather. Being dripping wet while the cold winds blew was asking for trouble.)

Which left Ai totally stuck. He was left with no way to fight the growing menace; the squirrels. They got bolder as the cold months went on, Ai found. Maybe it was due to the incoming winter? They had to stock up on calories and body fat before the lean months arrived. The seeds and grains naturally within the bird seed enticed the small mammals, serving to infuriate Ai. 

Another one of the changes was the ever-growing hump of fallen bird seed that collected beneath the hanging feeder. It just looked odd and felt soft and squishy when Ai stepped on it. He had considered swapping out his current feeder for a different one but had to also consider the potential drawback. This feeder was familiar, birds flew up to it with ease. It had become an old friend, to them. His research couldn’t take that sort of set back, not after all this time.

So, what was he to do? Ai sat at his table, tapping his pencil on his notebook absentmindedly. His head was in his hand, gazing blankly out the window. His spot hadn’t moved but the scenery was slowly shifting. The black metal of the bird feeder no longer stood out so harshly against the green leaves but was integrating into the fall landscape. 

A sigh left him when an unwanted visitor paused, sniffing the air. The squirrel’s little black eyes focused in on the source of the food, completely free to those who could reach it. Ai’s frustration shot up and in an act of pure impulse, he set his pencil down and banging his hand against the window. He wasn’t sure what he expected but the loud sound got the squirrel’s attention. It scuttled away quickly, fearful of the noise, tossing up leaves as it went.

That was an unexpected development. It was one he would accept, though, if it meant that Ai had a new weapon to fight the squirrels. His day looked like it was finally looking up.

Tokiya’s day, on the other hand, started out rough and didn’t improve. The banging of the taiko drums were still in his ears, their vibrations still under his skin. Natsuki had roped him into wearing a mascot costume at some sort of Piyo-chan event that the blond was also attending himself. He had cited something along the lines of community work and how well Tokiya wore that bear costume that one time. Even though Tokiya had stressed that was a one-time thing, Natsuki wore down his defences with a smile.

That was how Tokiya spent six hours of his day in oversized sweat box, not that he would ever tell that to Natsuki. The blond was over the moon, wearing nearly enough merchandise to be in a mascot costume himself, at having someone come with him to this event. But no one had told Tokiya exactly what kind of event that it was.

It was something that ran all week, much to Tokiya’s private dismay. Today was the second last day, much to Tokiya’s private delight. By now, the little dancing routine that he had to do was thoroughly beat into his head. There wasn’t much he could do stuck in the mascot, it had stubby flaps for wings and chunky legs. Therefore, most of the dance was jumping around and waving his arms as much as he could.

There was also some shaking of his legs, which Tokiya found awkward at best. But the kids he performed for loved it. They especially loved the part when he dropped to the ground and kicked his legs in the air. There was a special signal for that in the routine, signalled by the beating of the drums. When those played, Tokiya drilled it into his mind to drop to the ground.

All Tokiya wanted to do now was shower and change into some clean clothes. His body wasn’t as sore as the first day but there were lingering aches. The mascot wasn’t padded enough for the constant dives he took. But hearing the shouts of joy from the children made it worth it. Or, so he tried to tell himself.

Passing through the common area, Tokiya paused to greet Ai. The other idol was still seated, pencil in hand. There were paragraphs of notes already written in his notebook. A quick look at the bird feeder showed that it was ever the popular destination, with two small multicoloured birds pecking away at its feed. Movement from the ground indicated that more were congregating there.

“Even with the weather changing, it continues to draw in the birds, doesn’t it?” Tokiya’s observation was plain to see. 

Ai made a noise of confirmation. “I plan to leave it up through the winter months. There must be birds that only appear when it gets colder.” He tapped his notebook, still lots of pages left blank. “I will document all of them as they appear.” 

“I will leave you to it then.” Bidding his farewell, Tokiya left Ai’s field of vision. Now, Ai could continue his bird watching without any interruptions. Just as his eyes flicked up to The Tweeter, his ears picked up a conversation behind him. Based on the voices, Tokiya had run into Masato. Ai tuned them out, opting to listen for any words whispered by the birds. He was still coming up empty in that regard.

Suddenly, a furred creature shot out from the bushes. It nearly caught Ai by surprise. The squirrel’s legs were tearing up the ground, making a direct beeline for the low hanging feeder. Not that Ai would stand for any threats to his current ecosystem, he raised his hand and gave the window a solid thump.

Ai wasn’t the source of the second sound that followed. It was a sound that was much too loud to have come from a hand against the glass.

“Ichinose?” The sharp, panicked calling of the name had Ai turning around to the incredible sight of Tokiya laying on the floor. He was face up and by the looks of it, he had just dropped.

Ai remained where he was, choosing to watch the scene play out. The shock was still all over Masato’s face. Tokiya, meanwhile, groaned and put his hands over his face.

“Are you alright?” Masato asked and Tokiya heaved a sigh, hands still on his face, and muttered about taiko drums. When Tokiya made no moves to get up, Ai enjoyed watching Masato effectively short circuit. “Should, should I also…?”

There was a large amount of amusement and curiosity that Ai got from watching Masato slowly kneel beside Tokiya, as if he wasn’t sure whether or not to lay down as well. There truly was something to be said for human interaction and the need to fit in. Ai leaned forward in his seat, not willing to lift a single finger to help even as Masato spun his head about the room.

Studying humans had always been a source of excitement for Ai. He was constantly surrounded by all kinds of them and had to interact with them further for his work. They never failed to make him feel what could only be called emotions, coming from deep inside him. 

Ai quietly mused the gains he could make in his research if he switched his topic of study. He would keep up with his bird watching as something of interest to do, of course. Humans were endlessly engrossing, though, and he was constantly learning something new from them. But the greatest incentive?

He spoke their language.

**Author's Note:**

> Masa is and will continue to be the funniest Utapri character. 
> 
> As I was editing this, another idea came to me. Ai is now focusing on people watching but he doesn't want to stop bird watching either. The solution? He sets up a camera to watch The Tweeter when he is away. Just imagine the things that camera could pick up...


End file.
